North Korea Holds Mass Rally - to pledge loyalty to the country's new leader Kim Jong Un

North Korea Holds Mass Rally
VOA - January 10th, 2012

North Korea's powerful military has held a mass rally in the capital, Pyongyang, to pledge loyalty to the country's new leader Kim Jong Un.

Armed forces chief Ri Yong-Ho read the pledge of loyalty to Kim Jong Un of the three branches of the military. In typically exaggerated language, the pledge promised to “wipe out the enemies to the last one if they intrude into the inviolable sky, land and seas of the country even 0.001 mm.”

“We will become ten thousand rifles and ten thousand bombs to serve as the supreme commander Kim Jong Un's first line of lifeguards and Kim Jong Un's first line of death-defying corps.”

During the rally, navy officers promised to “become rifles and bombs” to protect their leader.

“If the enemies intrude our sea even by one inch, we, the navy who protects our country's sea, pledge that we will bury them at sea forever by a firm and merciless strike, and we also pledge that we will advance the day when we bring our supreme leader to the naval port on the South Sea of unified land.”

The rally ended with a march.

Pyongyang also announced a rare amnesty for prisoners, starting February 1. The official news media said the amnesty would apply to “convicts,” but it did not give numbers or elaborate on who would benefit.

North Korea proclaimed Kim Jong Un the successor of his father Kim Jong Il, who died last month. Kim Jong Un, who is in his late 20s and does not have active military experience, has been appointed supreme commander of the 1.2 million-member military.

Rights groups say that thousands of people are held in North Korea's prisons and labor camps, mostly for political and not criminal reasons.

This year the country marks the 70th anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong Il and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mr. Kim's father, North Korea's founding President Kim Il Sung. The amnesty is in commemoration of the two events, but observers say it is part of the effort to get wider support for the new leader.

Kim Jong Un - North Korea Learder

December 19, 2011
North Korean Heir Apparent an Enigma
VOA



Kim Jong Il's heir apparent - his third son Kim Jong Un - has risen to power swiftly in North Korea since being made a four-star general one year ago. But he is even more of an enigma than his late father.

Kim Jong Un is believed to be around 28-years-old. His birth date, mother and marital status are not known. He is believed to speak several languages - including English and German - and is said to have been educated in Switzerland, and at the Kim Il Sung University in North Korea.

Kim Jong Un is believed to be skillful in using computers and other forms of technology. He also is described by a longtime family chef, in a memoir, as competitive and ruthless.

The elder Kim presented Jong Un as his successor a year ago, appointing him to top government posts. Over the past year, Kim Jong Un regularly accompanied his father on trips around the country. And he steadily built his political clout by reportedly becoming involved in domestic and foreign policy, and securing a position in the ruling Workers' Party.

Kim Jong Un was presented to the world last year at a massive military parade marking the 65th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party, saluting troops by his father's side in an appearance captured live by international media.

Chinese Official - North Korean Succession Plan Endorsed

Senior Chinese Official Hails North Korean Succession Plan
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011 - VOA

North Korea's state media say a senior Chinese official has publicly endorsed plans for leader Kim Jong Il to be succeeded by his youngest son, Kim Jong Un.

The KCNA news agency report Tuesday was unusually open in referring to the succession plan, which has been widely assumed since the younger Kim was named a four-star general and appointed to major ruling party posts in September.

KCNA said Meng Jianzhu, China's public security minister, “warmly congratulated” Kim Jong Il ahead of his 69th birthday Wednesday and that he presented gifts to both the father and son.

It quoted Meng as congratulating Kim Jong Un on his recent appointments and “hailing the successful solution of the issue of succession to the Korean revolution.”

China provides more than 80 percent of North Korea's food and oil and has helped to protect it from international criticism over acts such as its artillery attack on a South Korean island in November.


Senior Chinese Official Hails North Korean Succession Plan
Article from VOA